Explosive.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES MILTON STINE, OF CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS POWDER COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Patented June 15, 1915. A

EXPLOSIVE.

1,143,330. Specification of Letters Patent. No Drawing. Application filed December 13, 1913. Serial No. 806,417.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES MIL'roN STINE, of Chester, in the county of Delaware and in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Explosives, and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of my invention or discovery is to provide a new explosive having among other desirable qualities, great power, and

to such ends my invention consists in the explosive hereinafter specified.

I have discoveredthat ivory nut or vegetable ivory which is obtained from the seeds of certain tropical palms, when nitrated, forms a powerful explosive in itself. I have also discovered that it forms an admirable ingredient in combination with other ingredients to produce explosive mixtures of great power.

When nitrocellulose is mixed with nitroglycerin the former dissolves in the latter to a greater or lesser degree, forming a jelly-like mass, the stiffness of which depends upon the quality and amount of the nitrocellulose used. It is well known that such a mixture of nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin becomes less sensitive to detonation by a commercial detonator as the proportion of nitrocellulose is increased, so that if more than about ten parts of nitrocellulose to ninety parts of nitroglycerin is used, the mixture ecomes too insensitive for use as a practical explosive. If the proportion is greatly increased beyond this point, the mixture can not be exploded at all by a commercial detonator. Nitrated ivory nut, on the other hand, is insoluble in nitroglycerin and does not form therewith a jelly-like mass, and the resulting mixture does not become insensitive when large proportions of nitrated ivory nut are used. Because of this fact, mixtures of nitrated ivory nut and nitro glycerin in any proportions can be exploded by a commerclal detonator. For example, a mixture containing fifty parts of nitratcd ivory nut and fifty parts of nitroglycerin, or a mixture containing sixty parts of m- 50 trated ivory nut and forty parts of nitroglycerin, have been found to be easily susceptible to detonation by a small commercial blasting cap.

While I shall give examples of explosive mixtures embodying the use of ivory nut, it is to be understood that the formulas given are merely examples and that my invention 1s capable of application to every form of explosive and to a wide variety of compositions and proportions of ingredients. I desire to claim the invention in the broadest possible terms. Among such examples may be mentioned the following: I have found, for example, that nitrated ivory nut may be used in any of the usual dynamite mixtures containing nitro-glycerin and that when so used it adds greatly to the strength of the explosive. As an example I may make an explosive of the following composition.

Nitro-glycerin 30% Nitrated ivory nut 10% Sodium nitrate 55% Wood meal 5% The method of nitrating the ivory nut is the subject of a separate application for patent filed by me July 23, 1913, Serial Number 780,656.

This explosive has a strength much greater than that of a dynamite containing 30% nitro-glycerin but without the nitrated ivory nut.

This explosive also is much stronger than a dynamite containin 35% nitro-glycerin and 1% nitro-cotton wlthout the addition of nitrated ivory nut.

Nitrated ivory nut can also be used to advantage 1n nltro-glycerin explosives which contain organic nitro compounds or any of the ordinary ingredients of dynamlte.

As another example, I give the following 85 a I have also discovered that nitrated ivory nut can be used to advantage in explosives which do not contain nitro-glycerin. As an example of this type of explosive the following forms a very powerful explosive.

N itrated ivory nut 60% Sodium nitrate 40% rate, tcfand other ingredients may be added, such as organic nitro compounds, parafiin oils, etc.

.While I have given specific examples of the use of nitrated ivory nutin. explosives, it is to *beunderstood that my invention is not limited to any particular explosive, but

that I desire to claim in the broadest possible manner the use of vegetable ivory and similar hemi and pseudo celluloses in explosives.

By the term explosives, I mean to cover not only explosives in general, but also particularly substances like smokeless powder, blasting explosives, charges for blasting caps, primers, fuses, etc.

Copies of this patent may be obtained tor I claim 1. An explosive containing nitro-glycerin and nitrated ivory nut.

2. A dynamite containing nitrated ivory nut.

3. An explosive containing nitro-glycerin, nitro-cotton and nitrated ivory nut.

4. An explosive containing nitro-glycerin, nitro-cotton, an organic nitro compound and nitrated ivory nut.

5. An explosive containing nitro-glycerin, nitrated ivorynut, nitro-cotton, an organic nitro compound, a combustible absorbent and an inorganic oxidizing agent. i

6. An explosive containing.nitro-glycerin, nitro-cotton, nitrated ivory nut, an organic nitro compound and an inorganic oxidizing agent.

7. A dynamite containing approximately per cent. of nitro-glycerin and 5 per cent. of nitrated ivory nut.

8. A dynamite containing approximately 35 per cent. of nitro glycerin, 5 per cent. nitrated ivory nut, 1 per cent. nitro-cotton and an inorganic oxidizing agent.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES MILTON STINE.

Witnesses:

HENRY W. Jonns, CLIFFORD E. BLYTHE.

five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

